Hacking 101
Every server can be broken into if your software out-versions its defenses, whether it's an NPC, another player's computer, or a clan server. The goal is almost always the same: get in, drop a virus or two, and clear the logs before anyone notices you were there.
You start from an IP on the Internet page. If you've hacked it before, your login is saved. If not, you crack your way in.
The goal of a hack is to gain root access, with privileges to both transfer files and run processes. There are two routes to root, and you only need one of them to land.
- Crack the password — point your cracker (
.crc) at the target. If its version is at least the target's password hasher (.hash), you're root. One tool, one check. - Exploit the services — beat the target's firewall (
.fwl) on both its FTP and SSH services, with a matching exploit for each. Clear both and you're root. This route needs one extra tool, the port scanner: it reads the target and tells you whether your exploits are high enough to get through the firewall before you commit.
You don't always need full root. To DDoS a server it only has to be in your Hacked Database, and even a single successful exploit puts it there. So if your goal is just to DDoS a target, one working exploit is enough. You don't need to finish the full hack.
Almost everything you do is written to a log, and usually to two of them: the server you acted on and your own localhost. Clearing the remote log should be your highest priority, but don't let sensitive data linger in your own log.
What leaves a log entry:
- Logging in to a remote server — the important one; this is how other players find your IP.
- Just about any software action: installs, uploads, downloads, deletes, research.
- DDoS attacks and money collections, which leave especially detailed logs.
- Bank transfers expose your bank account information.
What doesn't:
- Cracking or exploiting a server without actually logging in.
- Editing the log itself — clearing your tracks doesn't leave new ones.